The Royal Dimension
by Ichiruki Fanboy
Summary: A story about Kurosaki Ichigo after he re-acquires his shinigami powers.  Will be IchiRuki at some point.
1. Everything is not as it seems

_Everything's not as it seems..._

"Ichigo, I have something to ask you." Rukia says. She has been pondering this for a while now, but didn't get a good opportunity to ask him until now.

"Yea, what is it?" he asks while reading King Leer. He really didn't appreciate being interrupted.

"How did you manage to defeat Aizen?" she asks. Ichigo sighs.

"Well, after Aizen left for Soul Society to perform the ritual, me and my dad went after him in the precipice world. Dad realized that training in the precipice world might grant me the strength needed to win. While I trained for three months in the precipice world, I gained the ability to merge my hollow and shinigami powers to become a 'true transcendal', as Aizen stated. What was three months in there was one hour in the Soul Society." he explained. Rukia's eyes widen in surprise when she learned he not only suppressed his hollow, but fully merged it with his own.

"Ichigo...you're the only one I know who could pull off such a feat with such a method. Merging shinigami and hollow powers? Honestly, if you had told me this 17 months ago, I would've probably laughed you off." she said, with a small smile playing off her lips. "I never did thank you." she added, then she walks over to him, and he's shocked when she places a small kiss on his forehead. He blushes madly, and watches her as she enters the closet to go to sleep. He grins.

"You didn't have to, you idiot." he says, then decides to go to bed himself. He can finish the book tomorrow.

Ichigo wakes up the next morning, and realizes that Rukia isn't in the closet. He figures she left early to go on a walk or to Urahara's. It's a saturday, so he decides to sleep in some more.

This turns out to be a bad mistake, because shortly after, he feels a very strong pulse of reiatsu outside, and immediately hops out of bed and emerges in his shinigami form. As he arrives to where the reiatsu is currently at, he's in shock at what he sees. He sees Rukia...on the ground, and covered in blood.

"Rukia!" he screams, and he immediately flies down to see if she's still conscious. She's barely conscious, but the wounds don't seem too severe, and he breaths a small sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo...the hollow radar said it was a regular hollow, so I didn't feel a need to wake you...then I got attacked. I don't even know where he is, but he's nearby." she struggles out, but Ichigo puts a finger to her lips to prevent her from talking further.

"Just stay here, Rukia. I'll take care of this guy. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you or the people nearby." he says with certainty. She relaxes a bit, since she can feel the resolve in his words.

Ichigo looks around for a while, and he's getting both frustrated and confused when he can't seem to find the guy on the outskirts of the town. The voice he hears next makes his skin crawl.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Kurosaki Ichigo?" a man behind him says with a calming voice. He whips around, and is shocked at the being in front of him.

"Aizen..." he says, in a state of shock. "What are you doing here? How did you get out of prison?" he asks, amazed that Aizen was able of obtaining such a feat while in a powerless state.

"You honestly believed that I wouldn't have a back-up plan in case you were to somehow defeat me? How naive." he says in a very calm manner.

"Why did you hurt Rukia? Even if she was your enemy, with your power, there was no reason to injure her so badly!" Ichigo screams furiously.

"All in good time, Kurosaki Ichigo. If you are able to defeat me, I'll tell you. If you fail, remember that your life will not be taken, but instead I'll take away the woman you cherish the most." Aizen states, pointing his blade at Rukia. Ichigo's eyes harden in anger.

"I'll never let you take Rukia. I'll die before that happens!" he screams as he charges towards Aizen.

"You are so predictable, it's saddening. Shatter, Kyoga Suigetsu!" he says with his eyes fixed on Ichigo. Ichigo is confused when Aizen suddenly disappears in front of him. He looks around quickly to see which direction will come from, but he can't sense a damn thing. He mentally curses himself for witnessing his release.

Ichigo closes his eyes and tries to come up with a strategy quickly, and what he comes up with won't win the fight, it'll buy him some time.

"Ban-kai!" he screams, and he immediately takes off at top flight speed and starts moving around.

"Even if I'm under an illusion, if I keep moving, you won't be able to land a hit on me!" Ichigo screams out, regaining some resolve knowing that his plan has worked.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. Even in your current state of bankai, your speed does not match mine. Don't you already realize this? After you regained your shinigami powers, you did not fuse your hollow powers along with it. You are not the transcendal being you once were. You rely too much on your bankai." he calmly says from seemingly nowhere, and Ichigo narrows his eyes as Aizen pegged him dead on.

"I've always found a way to defeat my opponents. I'll crush you and prevent you from destroying Soul Society!" he yells.

"Destroy Soul Society?" Aizen asks, then starts laughing softly, and grins. "Kurosaki Ichigo...did I ever once say that I planned on destroying Soul Society, or the world of the living? I did not. You are so naive, it's laughable. There's no need to defeat you, Ichigo." he finishes, and Ichigo suddenly can sense Aizen...who swiftly smacked him in the back of his head.

"Because I already have." he says with a grin.

"D-damn..it..." he yells, then collapses on the ground.

Ichigo wakes up, and is surprised that he isn't dead. He looks around and is confused when he isn't sure where he is. He seems to be in some sort of mansion. A moment later, Aizen walks in, with a servant carrying a small tray of tea.

"It seems you are finally awake, Kurosaki Ichigo." he says. Ichigo is both shocked and angered by his mere presence, and tries to get up, but finds that he is restrained. Aizen sighs.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. Please, calm down. There's a lot you don't know." he says, but Ichigo isn't calmed down at all.

"What about Rukia? She's still bleeding on the outskirts, if I don't help now-"

"I've already healed her injuries, and wiped her memory so she has no recollection of the incidents of yesterday afternoon, then took her back to your room." Aizen said. Ichigo looks dumbfounded.

"Wait...why did you heal her wounds? We're your enemies, aren't we?" he asks.

"Like I said...there's a lot you don't know." he calmly says. "Tea?" Aizen asks as he offers one of the cups on the tray the servant left them.

"Y..yea...thanks." Ichigo says, and Aizen releases the bonds off of him Ichigo takes a sip of the tea, and it doesn't taste poisoned.

"Let's see...where should I start? Well, you already know that everything I've done to you so far was, without a doubt, to raise your battle capabilities." he says, and Ichigo raises an eyebrow.

"Yea, because I was a little experiment of yours right before you decided to try and take over Soul Society." Ichigo says, a little angered by the words Aizen once said.

"That was a lie. The main reason I conducted such an extreme series of events was because you are the only one who is capable enough from saving the world from this boundless prison." he says. Ichigo gives him a look of confusion.

"...What do you mean, exactly?" Ichigo says, pondering his words.

"Exactly as I said. There was a reason I wanted to enter the royal realm. You presumed that I wanted to eliminate the spirit king, correct? In such case, you were and are correct, I do wish him dead. However, did you not once think that, perhaps, I had a good reason for going through all this effort in obtaining such a goal?" Aizen asks inquisitively, and Ichigo nods slightly.

"You just wanted to take the seat for your own and fulfill your own wishes, didn't you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Aizen scoffs.

"You're half-right. I did want to take the seat from the spirit king, but not for the intentions of taking over the Soul Society or the world of the living." he says, and Ichigo thinks back on what Aizen just previously said.

"So, judging by what you said, the current king is more along the lines of a tyrant?" Ichigo asks.

"Precisely." Aizen says. Ichigo shakes his head.

"Impossible, if that were the case, then people in Soul Society would be a lot more harsh on the people of towns such as Rukongai. If that were the case-"

"The plan he wishes to implement has not yet been set into effect. If it were, then Soul Society would be a lot more worse off than it currently is. You know the stubborn old-fashioned people that reside in Central 46, do you not?" Aizen asks, and Ichigo nods again.

"Yea, and you murdered every single one of them." he says maliciously.

"What you didn't know was that these people were all in direct contact with the king no less than a week before. The king informed them of his plan. His current plan is to slaugher millions of people, possibly billions, in the world of the living, starting with everyone in Karakura Town." Aizen informs Ichigo, who looks shocked at the news. He doesn't respond for a few moments.

"Im..possible..the spirit king...wants all humans...all of my friends...dead?" he asks disbelievingly. "But why, there's no purpose-"

"Ah, but there is. In doing so, the Soul Society will have a much larger population. After that, he plans on dramatically increasing recruitment levels in Soul Society, making much more shinigami, which would, therefore, produce a very large number of captains to increase the division numbers, and the ones above captain level would be sent to the royal guard." Ichigo again discards what Aizen said.

"Why? To increase the military power of Soul Society and the Royal Guard? Why would he do such a thing? The threats can be taken care of by the military they already have!" he screams, and Aizen nods.

"That is precisely my point, Kurosaki Ichigo. I confronted you to see where your power currently resides, and I harmed miss Kuchiki in order to temper your resolve and increase your desire to fight. I apologize for what I done, but it was necessary to try and push you to a level at which you can help me." Aizen states. Ichigo pauses for a moment, and still doesn't quite believe him.

"Then why did you stab Rukia on the Soukyoku Hill? The captains, the events you took part in in Karakura Town? You didn't need to cut them down so violently!" he screamed.

Aizen closed his eyes. "I regretted deeply doing such events to Kuchiki-san, however, that was to obtain the hougyoku, which the spirit king was also trying to obtain. I couldn't let him have it. I also did not want to cut down my fellow captains in the manner I chosen. However, I knew that none of them would be willing to aid me in this dark goal, and thus, were my enemies. I planned on informing you of my goal the moment you were able to fight on par with me. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to do so, thanks to Urahara Kisuke." he finishes with a sour look on his face.

"And you were willing to kill over a hundred thousand people to obtain this goal?" Ichigo asks, and Aizen hesitantly nods.

"I did not wish to harm any innocents, however, the captain commander has no intention of giving up the location to that key, and the only way to enter the royal realm is with a key. As much as it pains me, I have to do it. I'm choosing the lesser of two evils here, Ichigo. You of all people should understand what it's like to try to do the right thing with no one to help you." he states. Ichigo rubs his temples and tries to digest the information that has just been admitted to him in the past ten minutes.

"What if I were to obtain the key from the captain commander?" Ichigo asks.

"Then I would be pleased to say I wouldn't have to kill the people of Karakura Town to protect the world from such evil." Aizen says. Ichigo starts to think.

"You know I have no reason to believe you about any of this, right?" Ichigo says, and Aizen leers at him.

"Understandable, however, think back on everything I just said. All of it seems to make sense, doesn't it? How all of the captains I fought conviently survived, how not one innocent person wound up dead, the 'experiment' I held on you? I don't expect you to trust me, Kurosaki Ichigo. I expect you to at least consider the possibility." Aizen says to Ichigo, who pauses for a moment.

"How long do we have until the king makes his move?" Ichigo asks.

"From what my sources tell me, it takes anything the spirit king puts through the legal system about 2 years to become authorized and finalized. Just as you have a system of checks and balances in the real world, there is one in the royal realm as well." Aizen explains, and Ichigo breaths a sigh of relief.

"Alright. As you can tell, I'm not near as powerful as I once was. If I come with you to the royal realm to defeat the spirit king, I'll only be a burden to you." Ichigo says, and Aizen's face remains unchanged.

"There's a way you can get around such things as power loss, Ichigo. You possessed the power before, and managed to regain part of it already. You will gain the rest of it back in due time." Aizen says confidently.

"Yea, and how do you propose I do that?" Ichigo says with a pessimistic tone.

"Simple, I'll train you." Aizen says.


	2. Preparation

_Preparation_

Ichigo is walking back home from the mansion, wondering how in the hell he's gonna explain this incident to Rukia. As he walks back home, he contemplates what Aizen just told him right before he left:

_"I'll give you a couple of hours to prepare. Do what you have to, but do not tell anyone under any circumstances. If you try to tell anyone you're leaving, they will not stand for it, we both know that, especially Kuchiki-san."_

It will be a miracle if he manages to accomplish that feat, given Rukia's perception skills. If he so much as gives one fearful glance at her, she'll pelt him with a schoolbook until he's unconscious on his floor or until he tells her whatever's wrong.

He's walking through the park for a quick shortcut home when he's suddenly greeted by Rukia.

"Ichigo, where have you been? You've been gone all day, without telling me. What's wrong?" she asks, staring intently at Ichigo.

"I was running an errand, and you were sleeping. What were you doing out here anyways? Did you miss me that much?" he says, smirking at her.

"You idiot, it wasn't just the fact that you were gone. I could always sense your reiatsu even if you went away, just like when you went training with the Vaizards. But your reiatsu disappeared entirely, and I know damn well you can't hide it. Tell me before I beat it out of you!" She screams.

"I was at Urahara's place training! Damn, do you always have to be on my case about every little thing!" he screams at her.

"I thought something happened to you! I don't even know how I would react if you just up and disappeared for another couple months!" she screamed at him, her eyes softening a bit. Ichigo's eyes immediately soften and his facial expression changes to one of guilt and pain. Rukia immediately picks up on that.

"You are planning on going somewhere, aren't you! Why, Ichigo? There's no enemies to fight that you can't handle right now, there's nothing you need to go away for. Why can't you stay here where you belong? Why..." Rukia's voice goes incredibly soft and she holds her arms as her eyes give a strong look of compassion.

_"Why can't you stay here with me?"_

"Rukia, I promise you. I'm not going anywhere. If I was, you'd be the first to know. You know, out of all my friends, that if something serious was happening and I needed help, you would be the first one I'd go to. I trust you more than anyone I know, including my family. You've always been there for me. I would never do anything to hurt you." he said, his gut wrenching in misery at the horrible guilt that arises from the depths of his soul.

_"Why does it have to hurt this bad?"_

Rukia looks up at him again, before sighing. "You're right, Ichigo. I'm sorry. I guess I was worrying over nothing."

* * *

><p>They get back to his house, and Ichigo heads to his room. He finds it unusual that his dad isn't home, since his father is always there to dropkick him in the face for being late.<p>

"Where's the old man? He's usually trying to bash my teeth in around this time." Ichigo asks Yuzu.

"Oh, he's working late tonight. There's a lot more patients at the Karakura hospital right now, and they're calling all clinics to lend their support. Apparently, there's a nasty flu bug going on right now." she says cheerfully.

"All right." Ichigo replies, and heads up to his room, with Rukia following him. As Ichigo gets back to his room, he flips through his books and starts reading some more Shakespeare as Rukia starts flipping through her manga. Ichigo is trying to figure out how in the hell he can get away from Rukia long enough to pack a few things and leave without being followed. Right as he finishes his thought, there's a hollow alert, and Ichigo capitalizes on it.

"Rukia, do you think you can handle that? I'm really tired tonight." he says, and Rukia nods.

_Odd, usually he's the one who volunteers to kill hollows, even if he's tired..._

"Yea." she replies, and she uses Chappy to change into her shinigami form, and leaves on the spot. As soon as she's gone, Chappy looks up at him.

"Oh, if it isn't Pwechigo! Did Rukia-sama want me to keep an eye on you~?" she sings out, and he shakes his head.

"No, she's out killing a hollow. Do you think you can keep my family occupied for a few minutes? I need a moment of privacy." he says.

"Oh Pwechigo, if you wanted to do that sort of thing, all you had to do was ask! Or better yet, you can ask me to help~!" she says, and she leans forward and rubs her hand on his crotch.

"Uh, that's okay, I think I'll be fine on my own." he says, immediately reacting to Rukia's soft hand.

"If you say so, you'll just have to take it out on Rukia-sama later~!" she sings out, leaving Ichigo beat red.

"Thank god she's gone." he says, as he hurries before Rukia finishes the hollow slaying.

As Ichigo finishes gathering the last of his things, he sighs at what he's about to do to his friends, his family...to Rukia.

"I'm sorry." he whispers out to the room, as he enters his shinigami form and heads back to Aizen's mansion.

* * *

><p>"You're an hour late, Ichigo-kun." Aizen states. Ichigo is surprised at Aizen's sudden formality of him.<p>

"Uh, yea, sorry. It was near impossible getting away from Rukia. I wasn't even home before she found me. I've had better luck shaking off a bad cold." he said, and Aizen chuckles.

"Yea, I figured as much. That's why I sent out that fake hollow alert to her phone. I'm glad to see you seized the opportunity I opened for you." he states.

"Still, I'm a little uncomfortable about all of this. Are you sure you need my help to do this? Is the spirit king so powerful that even someone like you is uncapable of defeating him?" he asks. Aizen solemly nods his head.

"The spirit king has reigned in his realm for over 10,000 years. There have been many attempts on his life, all of them ending in pure misery. According to the royal hierarchy, I myself would struggle against the officers of the royal dimension, let alone the legion commanders, and the king who resides above them." he states. "Besides, who said the training was just for you? I haven't trained in a long time, and perhaps by training with someone who is capable of strength greater than my own will increase my own capabilities as well. I would not pass up such an opportunity." he says with finality. Ichigo nods.

"Right, so where are we going? We need to hurry so Rukia doesn't find us." he says.

"Don't worry, there's a high power barrier here that prevents our detection. It doesn't matter much though, since we won't be training here anyways." he says. Ichigo looks up at him.

"Then where are we going to be training?"

"The Soul Society." Aizen says. Ichigo looks at him like he's crazy.

"And how in the hell are you going to manage that?" Ichigo asks.

"I've set aside a gate that we can enter that's far on the other side of Seireirei. Given the great distance that will be between us and Soul Society, and the vast amount of spirit particles that resides in the atmosphere, it will be impossible for them to even detect our presence during our entire stay there." he says. Ichigo pauses for a moment to think his logic through, then agrees.

"All right, let's do this." Ichigo says with confidence.

"Very well, but remember: if you fail, Soul Society will forever change, and billions of people will lose their lives, including your friends, your family, and Kuchiki-san." he says. Ichigo shakes a little bit at the thought of losing Rukia, and then agrees.

Aizen steps into the main hall of his mansion and begins to incant a spell. Soon after, a gate opens similar to the one that leads to Soul Society. As Aizen steps in, Ichigo follows closely behind.

_Goodbye, Rukia. I'm sorry..._


	3. Training

**_A/N: If you want these chapters to come out faster, please review my stories! The more reviews I get, the more inspired and motivated I am to complete them! Also, if you have any requests, I may or may not incorporate them into a one-shot or even the main story! Enjoy._**

_Training_

Aizen stepped through the gate first, with Ichigo closely behind him. Ichigo took a look around him and was surprised to find they were on a mountainside, with a large cabin nearby.

"This is where we're gonna be doing our training?" Ichigo asks. Aizen nods.

"As you can see, not only is this place desolate, but we've got plenty of supplies in this cabin here to last us a few years. Come." Aizen gestures towards the cabin, and Ichigo walks through the door.

Ichigo is amazed when the inside of the cabin is much more luxorious than he anticipated. The main things he noticed was that everything was very well-polished and orderly. This cabin might as well have been a condo for the rich.

Ichigo makes his way to his own room, which is no less impressive than the rest of the cabin. The guest bed was a waterbed, and king sized at that. There was an exequisite carpet on the floor, and a closet which was so large, it could be considered another room. Ichigo shakes his head as he views his "guest" room.

"This place is so well-decorated and huge...yet you call it a cabin?" he says, unable to awaken from his state of shock.

"We're going to be staying in this place for 2 years. If one must spend such a vast amount of time in one place, then it should be a pleasant one." Aizen says.

"Most of these things are from the living world! How on earth were you able to obtain all these expensive items?" Ichigo retorts. Aizen grins.

"Let's just say I don't have to worry about resources. I will give you a few minutes for you to settle your things, then we'll proceed to the training grounds. Of all things you brought with you, I hope your resolve was one of them." Aizen says, then exits the room.

Ichigo starts unpacking his things, and sets his clothes in the cabinet. Ichigo starts putting a couple of pictures on the nearby shelf, when he looks at the portrait of Rukia.

_You're the only thing that's gonna get me through this training. I just hope you'll forgive me when I come back._

Once Ichigo finishes setting his things up in his room, he heads down the stairs back into the living room, where Aizen was waiting for him.

"I must say you took longer than expected, Ichigo-kun." Aizen says.

"Sorry, you could say that I was busy gaining my resolve." he says, and Aizen nods.

"That's the one thing you must always have, whether or not you are fighting. A person's strength of will is what determines a person's worth. Are you ready to start today's session?" Aizen asks.

"Yea, let's do this." Ichigo says, and they depart into the wilderness.

* * *

><p>Rukia gets back from her hollow slaying, only to find Ichigo was missing. She checks downstairs to find that Ichigo's sisters are still awake.<p>

"Hi, Rukia-chan! Would you like to watch a movie with us?" Yuzu asks.

"Yea, Rukia, we haven't spent much time together since you moved into this house!" Karin chips in.

Rukia looks around and peeks into the kitchen, but doesn't see Ichigo there either.

_Where have you gone, Ichigo?_

"Sure." she says with a smile, and sits down to watch some TV with his sisters.

* * *

><p>Ichigo follows Aizen via shumpo for a few minutes and comes upon a large clearing in the forest. Aizen shumpo's away to put a bit of distance between the two of them.<p>

"Alright. Let's begin. Judging by your fighting style, strengths and weaknesses, the number one thing you must work on at this point is kido." Aizen states, and Ichigo gives him a dubious look.

"Why on earth would I need to learn kido? I've been doing just fine up to this point without it." Ichigo says, and Aizen closes his eyes and sighs.

"Because of this. Way of Binding No.61, six binding rods of prison!" Aizen chants, and Ichigo is immediately bound. Ichigo tries to free himself, but can't.

"If you cannot free yourself quickly or prevent the spell from seizing control of your body, you won't stand a chance against even the seated officers in the Royal Dimension, let alone those who reside above them." Aizen says as Ichigo continues to struggle against the binding spell.

"This binding technique isn't exactly easy to get out of! Did you strengthen it or something!" he screams at him.

"Indeed. The strength of one's spiritual power determines the overall effectiveness of one's kido capabilities. Since my current spiritual power is stronger than your current spiritual power, even a mid-level binding spell will render you completely helpless. You should be capable of freeing yourself of a binding spell of this level, since I didn't use the chant. I told you that if you do not bring your resolve, you will not gain any strength in this training. I will leave you here for three days. If you do not free yourself of this spell by then, then I will see no point in bothering with your training." Aizen says.

"Wait a minute, you're gonna leave me here for three days! What in the hell am I supposed to do about food and water!" he screams, and Aizen looks at him dubiously.

"You're in your spiritual form, you don't need food, just water, and your body should be able to last close to a week without it." he retorts, which further angers Ichigo.

"When I get out of this, I'm gonna beat the crap out of you!" he yells, and Aizen grins.

"We'll see about that, but first you have to get out of that binding." he says, and leaves before Ichigo can say anything else.

Ichigo continues to struggle in the binding, but isn't getting any immediate success.

"Damn it, if this is one of his lower level spells, how the hell am I supposed to stand a chance against one of his higher level ones?" he asks himself, and continues to struggle. He struggles for a while before eventually giving up, trying to figure out an effective way to break the binding.

* * *

><p>Rukia is sitting on Ichigo's bed, now very concerned about why Ichigo hasn't come back yet. Eventually she's had enough waiting around and goes to see Ishida. Even if she can't sense Ichigo's spiritual pressure, there's a chance that he might.<p>

Rukia knocks on Ishida's door, but is greeted by his father instead.

"Um, hello, is Ishida here? I need to speak with him about something." Rukia asks, and Ryuken narrowes his eyes at her.

"I'm rather disappointed that my own son didn't bother introducing his girlfriend before she showed up." he says, and Rukia looks at him confused.

"G-girlfriend? I'm just his friend!" she says, and he nods his head.

"In any case, he's in his room. Knock before you enter." he says, and Rukia heads up to his room.

She knocks on the door, and she hears a bit of scuffling and what sounds like a whisper.

"Come in!" he says after a moment, and Rukia enters.

Rukia enters the room and is surprised when she sees that his room isn't too different from Ichigo's, except for the collecting of sewing items Ishida has near the desk.

"Kuchiki! What are you doing here, is something wrong?" he asks, and Rukia nods.

"Yea, I haven't seen Ichigo in a couple of days, and I can't even sense his reiatsu. There's no reason for him to be gone for this long. Can you sense his reiatsu?" she asks, and he shakes his head.

"I haven't, but honestly, I thought he would've told you if he left. If you didn't stop here by tomorrow, I was gonna see you to ask myself." he says, then she sighs.

"I'm gonna go head to Soul Society to see if they know where he is. If anyone knows, it's them." she says, then starts to leave before she suddenly realizes.

"By the way, Ishida, what were you doing before I knocked? I thought I heard something." she asked, but Ishida gets up and starts gently pushing her towards the door.

"Nothing important, Kuchiki-san, but do try to hurry up and find Ichigo, something probably happened to him!" he says, then shuts the door before she can say anything else.

Ishida sighs as he locks the door and sits back on his bed. He feels a good deal of shock when somebody grabs him from behind and starts grabbing his crotch.

"Would you like to be serviced, Ishida-sama?" the woman asks, and he blushes and pushes up his glasses.

"W-wait a minute, Nemu-san! We should wait until my father leaves just in case-" he starts, but Nemu pushes him on his back and pulls his pants and boxers down in one swift motion, and starts sucking him off like there's no tomorrow. Ishida tries to protest but his eyes roll up and loses all train of thought.

_Why do I enjoy it so much even though I could be walked in on at any moment?_

* * *

><p>Rukia sighs as she leaves Ishida's house and prepares the senkaimon for Soul Society. She tries to calm herself, saying that if anybody could take care of theirself, it was Ichigo.<p>

_I can't see anyone kidnapping Ichigo. Soul Society knows for sure where he is._


	4. Desperate Act of a Desperate Man

**A/N: I had a fun time writing this one, I think you will be pleased at this part of the story. For those of you who feel this painfully dragging along, I'm likely to start making a chapter every day or two now that I am having some fun with it. Remember, the more reviews I get, the more motivation I have to continue my stories!**

_Desperate Act of a desperate man_

Ichigo lays on the ground, still struggling to get out of the binding that has him on the ground. He's been struggling for nearly a day now, and still can't get free. In fact, he hasn't even gotten close. Eventually, Ichigo comes up with a solution, and it disgusts him to have to resort to this, but he has no choice if he's going to pass this test. Ichigo closes his eyes...

Ichigo finds himself landing in his inner world. He looks around and sees Zangetsu.

"Ichigo, I presume you came here for my assistance to help break the binding your body is in?" Zangetsu asked. Zangetsu is surprised when Ichigo says no.

"No. I came here to ask you and my hollow for help." Ichigo says, and Zangetsu is surprised.

"You actually want to seek the help of him?"

"As it stands, even your lent strength won't be enough to break this binding. Besides, if I can't pass this test, that basically means I'm as good as dead when the king's plan is finally passed. I'm sure he doesn't want me to die, since if I die, he dies too. He doesn't have a choice." Ichigo says, and Zangetsu can't help but to grin slightly.

"That's good to hear, Ichigo. You are, after all, at your strongest when you are wielding the strength of all of me, not just my shinigami part. Don't forget that he is a part of me too. Indeed you are right that breaking this binding is in all of our interests, no matter the reason. Very well, I'll summon him." Zangetsu says and closes his eyes. A moment later his hollow forms in front of his eyes.

"Yo, what is it, old man?" Hollow Ichigo says, but a cocky grin forms on his face when he sees Ichigo.

"Ha! What are you doing here, king?" he spits out, and Ichigo gives him an unwavering look.

"I'm here to ask you for help. If I'm going to break the bindings my body is in, I'm going to need the help of all of Zangetsu, not just his shinigami self." His hollow starts to display a rather eerie smile before breaking out into laughter.

"I was wondering if you'd ever figure it out. You've been such a big idiot for the longest time, I was wondering if you would ever accept me. Well, I suppose the dumbest thing you've ever done was not make a move on our cute Rukia-chan when she was sleeping in your closet so many nights. I would've rocked that piece of eye candy so many times, I wouldn't be surprised if she had octuplets!" he chimed, and Ichigo really does not like how his hollow said that.

"Shut up!" he screamed at his hollow, who promptly rolls his eyes.

"Yea, whatever. I heard what the old fart said. I don't have much a choice in the matter anyways. After all, if the path of failure will kill us, then it's not an option. Alright, let's get this over with, old man. I want some private time with my memory of Rukia-chan when this is done." he says, and Zangetsu rolls his eyes as he merges with the hollow. The old man now has part of a hollow mask over his face and his garb is now white, but still maintains his own conscience, similar to how Tensa Zangetsu was back in the precipice world.

"Go, Ichigo." he commands him, and Ichigo nods.

Ichigo wakes back up in his body, and he's still caught in the binding. Ichigo closes his eyes and focuses his strength. While he's focusing his strength, he can hear Zangetsu's voice resonating in his mind.

"Ichigo, our power may be great, but to ensure that the binding is easily broken, you must weaken it first by undoing some of the binding." he says.

"And how do you propose I do that, I don't know jack about kido!" he says.

"Forming and countering kido is all about the state of mind. Think of the binding as nothing but an energy form that can be twisted and bent to your will. In a sense, it is equivilant to untying a knot. All you have to do is feel the form of the binding and start to separate it. Even if you cannot undo it entirely, if you can at least loosen it, it will make the braking of the binding that much easier. Now, focus Ichigo!" Zangetsu says, and Ichigo closes his eyes once again.

Ichigo starts to focus, and after a moment, can feel a sort of knot in certain areas of the binding. He tries to undo the binding with his own spiritual pressure, and manages to loosen it. After a while, Ichigo realizes that he isn't gonna undo any more of the binding, then focuses himself to break the loosened binding with his physical strength. Ichigo now starts to strain against the bindings, and is quite surprised when he manages to break the binding without too much effort. He lets out a breath of relief when he can finally stand, since his knees and left arm were starting to go numb.

"Well done, Ichigo. Remember, if you need our help, do not be afraid to call upon it. Do not let your pride get the better of you." Zangetsu says before fading into his mind. Ichigo dusts himself off and heads back to the cabin, ready to scream his ass off at Aizen.

* * *

><p>Rukia checks in with the 12th division carrying a box, and finds Nemu carrying around some papers in the hallway.<p>

"Excuse me, Nemu-san, can you do me a favor please?" she asks, and Nemu turns to her.

"Of course, Kuchiki-san. What is it?" Nemu responds. She can tell Rukia is very upset about something.

"I need you to find the location of Kurosaki Ichigo. He disappeared a couple of days ago and I can't find him anywhere. He's not in the real world, as far as I can tell, so I figured he either went here, or..." she drops off.

"Don't worry, Kuchiki-san. If he's alive, then we can definitely find his reiatsu, no matter where he is in the real world or Soul Society." she says calmly, and Rukia wishes that comment comforted her.

Nemu leads Rukia into Mayuri's private lab, and finds Mayuri is typing something on his computer. He looks agitated when he finds not only Nemu, but Kuchiki-san is with her.

"What is it, Nemu? I promptly told you I was not to be interrupted!" he screams at her.

"My apologies, Mayuri-sama, but there's a matter that only you can resolve.

"Ohhhh, is that so? Alright, let's hear it, Kuchiki." he says, somewhat intrigued.

"Captain Mayuri, the reiatsu of Kurosaki Ichigo has seemed to have disappeared in the real world, and I cannot find it anywhere in the Court of Pure Souls. I'm worried something has happened to him." she finishes.

"Sorry, Kuchiki-san, but this seems far too simple for me to deal with at the moment. Come see me later in the week." he says, turning back to his computer, and Rukia narrows her eyes.

"I suspected you wouldn't be too interested on this assignment, so I brought a little something with me." she says, and hands Mayuri the box she was holding.

"Hmmm?" he says, and opens the box to find an arrangement of sweets and treats he's not familiar with.

"Ooooh my, it would seem you know one of my weak spots, Kuchiki-san. Perhaps you aren't as impodent as I thought you were. I don't recognize any of these treats you provided. I presume you picked them up from the real world?" he asks curiously, even though he already knows the answer.

"Not just from the real world, but they were selected from the finest bakery in Karakura Town. You would most likely be one of the first ones from Soul Society to ever relish such sweets." she says with a grin on her face, and Mayuri's smile widens.

"Fascinating! Nemu, prepare the tea. Very well Kuchiki-san. I'll have Kurosaki-san's reistsu found within the hour. Let me take a look at my records. In the meantime, I suggest you go wait outside." he says before turning around to his computer to pull up some screens.

"Yes. Thank you, Captain Mayuri." she says, and bows as she leaves.

True to his word, about 45 minutes after she left, Nemu emerged from the lab to retrieve Rukia and bring her back to the lab. As she enters the lab, she sees that Captain Mayuri has indeed sampled some of the treats she provided. She sees a variety of screens pulled up on the monitor, and Mayuri turns around in his chair.

"Kuchiki-san, I have investigated it throughly, and the last records I can find of Kurosaki-san's reiatsu is when he was on the way to Soul Society. However, I can't quite identify the reiatsu that was with him. This record was of 2 days ago, sometime in the evening." he says, and Rukia frowns.

_That was when I left his room to hunt that hollow..._

Rukia sighs, and starts to feel sad, wondering if she'll ever find Ichigo. She's starting to panic slightly, suspecting that he was indeed kidnapped.

"This matter intrigues me greatly. I will keep at it, Kuchiki-san, as I'm curious as to where he is, as well as the reiatsu who was with him. The senakimon that allowed him and his companion into Soul Society was not found in the records. Also, if their reiatsu isn't traced anywhere in the Seireirei, then it means that the person most likely has a barrier erected. If the scumbag thinks he can hide from me, he is sorely mistaken. I assure you, this person will not get the better of me. I will notify you when I have discovered something. Now if you would, please go back to your business so I can focus." he says, waving his hand dismissively. Rukia does as he asks and heads back to Karakura Town to inform Ichigo's friends. She can't help but feel her heart start to sink when she considers the realization that Ichigo could very well be captured, or dead by now. She starts to shake a little, and is surprised when she starts to feel a tear fall down her cheek.

_Ichigo...what in the hell is going on? Why are you doing this? What about your friends? What about me?_

Nemu also starts to head out when Mayuri turns to her.

"Nemu! Where do you think you're going? I have work for you to do!" he says. Nemu turns to look at him.

"I'm going to perform a check on the rest of the division to ensure they are helping in every way possible on the Kurosaki case." she says. Mayuri scowls at her.

"Very well, but be quick about it!" he says. She nods her head and leaves.

Instead of heading to the main lab, she instead makes her way to the senkaimon with a grin on her face.

_The work for Mayuri-sama can be done by another assistant. I'm not done getting my fill of Ishida-sama yet!_

* * *

><p>As Ichigo makes his way back to the cabin, he finds Aizen is in the study room drinking tea. Aizen is somewhat surprised when Ichigo barges through the door.<p>

"You idiot, do you realize that there are wild creatures out there? Why would you leave me binded out there unsupervised!" he screams at Aizen. Aizen looks dubiously at him.

"There are no aggressive creatures living out in this part of the world, Ichigo-kun. Even if there was, I would've sensed it long before it reached you. Do not doubt my capabilities. Here, have some tea." he offers, then he narrows his eyes a bit.

"I presumed you to be out there for another day at least. It's safe to assume you broke the bindings?" he asks, and Ichigo nods.

"Yea, Zangetsu helped me figure out how to undo the bindings, and he lent me all of his strength this time, now just his shinigami self." he says, and Aizen looks surprised.

"You undid the binding entirely!" he asks in shock.

"No, only some of it. I loosened it enough to brake it with brute force. If it wasn't for Zangetsu, even that probably wouldn't have been enough." Ichigo says, leaving Aizen to ponder the information just divulged to him.

_Not only has Ichigo managed to manipulate kido, but he able to manipulate a binding of that level! Also, what does he mean by "just his shinigami self?" Is Zangetsu more than just his shinigami powers?"_

"Ichigo-kun, may I ask you a question?" he asks.

"I suppose." Ichigo says.

"What do you mean by 'just his shinigami self?' Is Zangetsu more than just your shinigami powers?" he asks.

"Well, I used to believe for a long time that he was, but my hollow also seems to have deviated from him. Zangetsu is a combination of my shinigami and hollow powers. I realized I wouldn't be able to break your binding easily, so I called upon the powers of all of him to help me break it." he asks, and Aizen still can't completely hide his shock.

_His hollow powers came from his shinigami powers? I see..._

"Ichigo-kun, this power of yours...is this the same type of power you used to defeat me 17 months ago?" he asked, and Ichigo nods.

"Most of it. I'm still not quite as powerful as I was when we fought. Back then, I had a desire stronger than I had ever felt before. I had to defeat you, no matter the cost. I kept telling myself if I didn't defeat you, then the world was doomed."

"You say you wanted to protect the world, but is that all it was?" Aizen asks, and Ichigo looks confused.

"What do you mean?" he asks. Aizen narrows his eyes.

"I mean that you were fighting to protect something else." he says, and Ichigo nods in understanding. "You were fighting to protect Kuchiki-san, weren't you?" he asks, and Ichigo's eyes widen.

"That's not true! I was fighting to protect everyone!"

"But that's not the reason why your resolve was so strong. Deep down somewhere, you knew that if you failed, then Kuchiki-san's life would be over. Sure, many more would have perished, but her death would have been the thing that would have truly broken you. Am I wrong?" he asks. Ichigo doesn't immediately respond.

"I just don't feel complete with her around, like a part of my soul is missing." he says, and Aizen ponders something for a moment before speaking.

"Would you like her to train with us?" he asks her, and Ichigo chokes on the tea that Aizen had offered him.

"Y..you can't be serious. If you need my help to dethrone the king, then Rukia won't be able to help us. She'll probably be killed if she comes!" he screams, and Aizen nods.

"Indeed, if she were to come as she were now, she would be defeated very quickly. If she wouldn't be killed, I can't guarantee that the more ruthless pigs wouldn't do something even worse, such as violate her." he says, and Ichigo's eyes burn in anger at the mere thought.

"However, if she indeed is as important to you as it seems, then her presence alone will be enough to push your power to the height we need it to be at. Additionally, if she harbors the same feelings as you, then it would be just as likely that we can increase her power to fight as well, enough to hold her own against some of the ranked officers in the Royal Dimension." he says, and Ichigo starts to feel calm, although he isn't sure why. Rukia's life could be in danger, after all.

"If we do decide to bring her along, we'll have a very hard time convincing her to come." Ichigo says, and Aizen nods.

"Kuchiki-san is on the stubborn side, true, but her bond with you is very strong, and trusts you enough to know that you wouldn't come with me if it wasn't for a very good reason." Aizen says, and Ichigo pauses for a moment.

"Alright, let's go get Rukia."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, what did I tell ya? Some good plot development, some angsty IchiRuki, and hell, I even threw in some more IshiNemu! Ah, a fanboy can dream though :D<strong>


	5. I don't believe this

**A/N: It's been a while since I wrote a fanfiction, but I finally decided to get off my lazy ass and write one. Send reviews and I'll roll'em out! Enjoy!**

_I don't believe this..._

A senkaimon opened itself in the real world, right outside of Aizen's mansion. As Ichigo and Aizen emerged and the senkaimon closed, Aizen turned to Ichigo.

"Ichigo, you do realize that there is a chance she will try to attack us with everything she has, right?" Aizen said to him.

"She won't. Not as long as I'm with you. She knows that I wouldn't do something like this unless there was a damn good reason for it. She will at least listen to what we have to say." Ichigo says confidently, and Aizen stares at him as he ponders his statement.

_He has so much trust in his future companion. He reminds me an awful lot of Seraphina..._

"Anyways, I suppose you have proof? You wouldn't be foolish enough to come without something to back up your story." Ichigo says, looking at him with his trademark scowl.

"Naturally. Do you think I would be so unprepared as to not bring evidence?" Aizen said rather smugly, pulling some documents out of his uniform and waiving them in front of Ichigo. Ichigo looks at them with curiosity.

"By the way, what exactly are those?" Ichigo asks.

"These are official documents which decree all royal guard members to eliminate both the real world and all shinigami who resists its annihilation, stamped with the royal seal itself. If she still doesn't believe me, we'll make a little trip to Urahara's. He'll settle any uncertainty she may have." he says, and Ichigo is shocked.

"How the hell does Urahara know about this!" he screamed.

"Urahara is the only man with intelligence greater than mine, Ichigo, as I have once said. He knew about the dilemma involving the spirit king before I did. He knew the whole time that I was never captured. That was something we staged for Soul Society's and the Royal Dimension's benefit. After your power has reached the level of mine, Urahara moved to imitate my sealing, but it was too late, and you have already used the final Getsuga Tenshou. After that, we continued with the act and Urahara had to come up with some way to restore your strength. Fortunately, we managed to overcome this little bump in the road, just as planned." Aizen said. Ichigo felt more reassured knowing that Urahara can help them convince Rukia. After all, she's the most stubborn person he's ever met.

"Before we go through with this Ichigo, I will ask you once more. After this, there will be no turning back. Are you prepared to bring Kuchiki-san into this? Do you swear that every fight you encounter from now on, you will fight as if your loved one's life is on the line?" Aizen asked him sternly.

"I do." Ichigo replied just as firmly. Aizen seemed satisfied with his confidence.

"Good, then let us proceed." He said calmly as they made their way to Ichigo's house.

* * *

><p>Rukia hasn't been feeling very well since Ichigo's sudden disappearance two days ago. Her nerves are shot and she hasn't gotten much sleep as she anxiously waits for an update on Ichigo's situation. She turns to her closet and closes her eyes.<p>

"Idiot...why did you just leave without saying goodbye? Why couldn't you tell me?" she said, clenching her fits and feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"Moron, because you wouldn't let me go." says an irritated voice behind her, and she spins around to see Ichigo standing in front of her, who now looks upset when he sees how distraught Rukia is.

"Ichigo...!" she says, not believing he's really here. After a moment, she steps forward and buries her face in his chest, starting to cry. Ichigo frowns and is wrecked with guilt for what he did.

"I'm sorry. If I got you involved, you could've been killed." he whipsered in her ear. She still has her arms wrapped around his waist, then looks up at him.

"W-what do you mean? What was so important that you had to lie to me about it? I trusted you, Ichigo!" she said, still sobbing.

"Idiot, if I told you, you would want to come along, and these aren't enemies you can fight right now. But..." he trailed off, trying to figure out the right way to say this. She looked up at him questioningly.

"But what?" she said.

"He said that it would be very beneficial to my training if you were there to train with me. If you trained hard enough, you would be able to come with me." Ichigo said, and he knew what she was gonna ask next.

"Who said that?" she asked, and Ichigo paused for a moment.

"He's out here, and don't try to cut him down when you see him, ok?" he told her, and she bit her lip.

"No promises." she said, although she prepared to bite whatever oncoming anger that might overcome her.

As Ichigo and Rukia made their way outside the window and onto the ground, Aizen was there waiting for them. When Rukia saw him as she landed, her anger immediately flared.

"You!" she screamed, all of it starting to become clear to her. She immediately gripped her sword and prepared to release it.

"Calm yourself, Kuchiki-san. I'm not here to fight." Aizen said, cool as a pillow.

"I won't forgive you for poisoning Ichigo's mind! Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she screamed, releasing her sword. "First dance-"

"Way of binding no.63, binding wind chains!" Aizen murmered calmly, immediately preventing Rukia from conjuring her attack and dropping her to her knees.

"That attack of yours could have killed innocent people, Kuchiki-san. I really expected you to act more rationally." he stated, and Rukia's anger was now somewhat directed at herself by that fact.

"Rukia, calm down!" he said, trying to abate her anger, which wasn't working.

"I won't stop until this man is dead!" she screamed. Aizen sighed.

"Would you say that if you knew I was the only hope this world had for survival?" he said, a bit of irritation in his voice. Her anger dropped considerably, replaced somewhat by curiosity.

"What do you mean?" she said.

"If I release your bindings, do you promise to at least here me out?" he said. Rukia paused for a moment before nodding. Aizen promptly released the spell.

"This is gonna be a long story, so I suggest we get comfortable. Also, I don't want any interlopers hearing this, so I suggest we continue this conversation at my estate." he said, turning around. "Come."

* * *

><p>After hearing the story at Aizen's mansion in Karakura Town, this left Rukia with much to ponder.<p>

"If the situation is so dire, then why not report it to the higher-ups at the Seireitei? I'm sure the captains would be able to-"

"We can't afford to take that chance, Kuchiki-san. As powerful allies as they would make, if even one spy were to discover this information, they would promptly report it, in which the king would immediately order the destruction of the living world, defeating our purpose of training." Aizen reasoned, and Rukia agreed. After all, it wouldn't be the first time the Seireitei made a bad decision for the world of the living. The Quincy war was a prime example.

"I understand your caution, but why bring me into this? If Ichigo was all you needed, then why are you training me as well?" she asked, and Aizen gave her the most straightforward answer he could.

"Motivation." he said, and Rukia was confused.

"What?" she asked.

"Ichigo gets stronger when he fights to protect something. He gets stronger when he fights to protect his friends in the human world, but-" he pauses, then looks directly at her- "He is clearly at his strongest when he's fighting to protect you." he says, and this answer affects Rukia so much, she's glad she's sitting down because she can feel her knees start to weaken.

"Ichigo...is this true?" she says, and Ichigo gives her a genuinely soft smile.

"Yea...I just didn't realize it." he said, and Rukia's heart melts as she hears it. Aizen promptly gets up and heads upstairs with a smirk on his face.

_I know where this is going..._

Ichigo walks closer to her, and her heart skips a beat as he does. He gently tilts her chin up and places a very soft, long kiss on her lips. She responds, feeling her heart well up with joy, and she's quite certain Ichigo feels the same way.

Ichigo leads her up the stairs, carrying her and kissing her, and heads into his room, where he plans on continuing on expressing his love in private.

_Finally, everything seems the way it should be. I love you, Rukia._


	6. It's too hard

**A/N: Been about 4 months since I last posted to this story, but I finally got off my lazy ass to write another part to this story! Enjoy!**

_It's too hard_

Ichigo woke up the next morning, feeling better than he has in years. He has the person he loves the most in his arms, sleeping comfortably. He lays in bed for the next few minutes, just enjoying the moment. However, it isn't long before he hears a knock on the door.

"Ichigo, Kuchiki-san, wake up please. We will start your training session soon. Come downstairs when you are ready." Aizen called through the door. Rukia woke up upon hearing the knock, and although she didn't like being woken up after one of the best days of her life, but she knows her current strength isn't enough. If the captains strength won't even come close to protecting both worlds, she will need to train harder than ever before.

"Let's get going, Ichigo. I'm actually a bit anxious to see Aizen's plan for improving our power," she said, and Ichigo agreed. After just a couple days, he already acquired a good deal of strength. Who knows how strong he will be one year from now.

As they head downstairs, they are surprised to find a table full of food has been laid out for them.

"Aizen, how long did you spend making this for us?" he said, as he notices several plates of food, particularly the sausage, hash browns, blueberry pancakes, and the small fruit tray.

"A little over an hour, I suppose. When one has as much time as I have, he pursues his desires. Over the years, I have disciplined myself to learn a great deal about the world. In fact, I even educated myself in the human world to obtain doctoral degrees in theoretical physics and applied physics, as well as bachelor's in law, art, and cooking." he said.

"How the hell did you manage that? Surely the human world would have noticed something suspicious with so much education under your name!" Rukia asked him.

"When you have resources like I do, Kuchiki-san, it is not impossible to have the governments of this world overlook a few things. Any educated person knows better than to trust their government in today's world."

Ichigo and Rukia finally take their seats at the table and start digging into the feast that Aizen has provided for them. Judging by the taste of his food, they believed his cooking experience in the human world was credible, at least.

Rukia thought about the question that was bothering her for some time, and decided to ask. "Aizen-san, do you really think I'll be able to gain strength greater than that of the captains?"

"If you train with everything you have, I have no doubts you will be of some use when the time comes. A strong will is stronger than steel." Aizen said, and Ichigo's ears picked up the moment he said those words.

"_A strong will is stronger than steel..."_

"Those are the same words Urahara-san said!" Ichigo said, feeling like there was a reason Aizen said these exact words.

"Of course, I was the one who trained Urahara-san, after all." Aizen said with a grin, shocking both Ichigo and Rukia.

"WHAT!?" they both screamed.

"It's true. The relationship between me and Urahara is a lot more complex than everyone else is led to believe. After all, what SS knows, the Royal Guard knows. One can never be too careful. Now then, I believe we are all done here, so let's get started with our training, shall we?" Aizen said as he cleared the table, then beckoned them to follow him outside.

Aizen continued to walk along a path through the forest for a few minutes until they entered a clearing. In the clearing, was a wide open field, and at the other end of the forest was a few target dummies.

"In this field, a variety of techniques can be performed, kido obviously is one," Aizen said, gesturing to the target dummies. "Ichigo, you are going to be training by yourself for today. Today's lesson is to teach you how to use the basics of kido."

Ichigo stared a moment at him blankly before objecting. "Aizen-san, I can barely control my spirit pressure as it is. I think kido is a bit out of my league."

"Even Renji was able to learn some kido, and we all know he's about as bright as a broken flashlight," he said, earning a chuckle from both Rukia and Ichigo. "Learning the basics isn't what I'm concerned about. By the time we're done with your kido training, I expect you to cast spells with the same capability as me. With your growth pattern and the time we have, it should be no problem." Aizen advised, and Ichigo hesitantly nodded, although he still doesn't fully agree with Aizen. "Come, Kuchiki-san, your training field is over here."

Rukia and Aizen walked to a corner of the field which contained another path. As they continued to walk down it, Aizen decided now would be the best time to talk.

"By the way, Kuchiki-san, there's two things you should probably know," he said, and she looked up in confusion.

"And that is...?" she said questioningly.

"First off, while you are training, there's one thing you must keep in mind the entire time you are training. You are training to protect the one you care about most. One thing I have always preached to the people I instructed was to train with this pretense in mind. It is the same as training with your life on the line. While you are training, you must keep in mind this is to protect Ichigo.

"Yes, that's true...but what about my nakama? Everyone else? Surely I must train with them in mind too-"

"It won't be enough." Aizen said sternly, and Rukia looked up in slight confusion and anger.

"So what are you saying, that I should only train with the focus of protecting only Ichigo? That everyone else I fight to protect doesn't matter!? The only reason I became as strong as I am now is because I trained to protect them!" she started saying, her voice rising.

"And how well do you think this 'strength' has served you, Kuchiki-san?" he retorted, and Rukia bit her lip in frustration, but said nothing. "It is true that training to protect something is good, but it doesn't yield results nearly as well as protecting the thing you treasure more than everything else. If it came down to it, would you choose to save Ichigo's life over one of your friends?" he asked her, his brown eyes fixed on her wavering violet ones. She averted her eyes, then paused for a few moments before nodding.

Aizen knew that she wouldn't want to choose between two people she cares about; no one should. He puts his hand on her shoulder and told her softly but sternly: "There's nothing wrong with wanting to protect everything, but you must find the one thing that you cannot live without, and strive to protect it with your own life. You have to cry out with your soul to break the limits on your current strength and ascend beyond it." he said, and he felt some comfort knowing his words had a positive effect on her as she started to calm down.

"Also, the second thing is..." he said, as they approached another opening. This opening in the forest was filled with a variety of dense blocks, each of which seemed to be made of a different substance.

"You must focus on improving your sword abilities, Kuchiki-san. Your kido does need improved, true, but kido users without skill with the sword are just a sitting target for the type of opponents we'll be up against. You can't expect your enemy to sit idle and let you cast a spell, now can you?" he said, turning to her.

"That's true. It's fine; truth is, I've always wanted to improve my swordsmanship, although I never particularly excelled at it," she said, turning her eyes down to the ground as she remembers that when she first entered the gotei 13, her sword skills were below average.

"Don't worry, that will soon change, Kuchiki-san. It will take a considerable amount of time for you to build your reiatsu to the point where it compares to either mine or Ichigo's, but that will come with proper training. Fortunately, you have the patience to endure such waiting. For now, we'll have you focus on this, your first objective," he said, guiding her to a block which looked like steel.

"This is your first test. I expect you to be able to cut clean through this in one swing three days from now." he said. He could tell Rukia wasn't very confident about this.

"E-eh, this block is huge, Aizen-san...I know I can put some slices in it, but this thing has to be about 20 feet thick and 10 feet high! You expect me to cut cleanly from one end to the other?" she asked in disbelief.

"Precisely. Do not worry, Rukia. I know the limits of every individual I have ever trained. Even though your reiatsu isn't strong yet, if you harness and focus it properly, fighting with the intent to kill, it won't be too difficult. I will watch your first attempt. Now, go ahead, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia turned to focus the block, and built up her spirit energy. When she felt she built up enough reiatsu to at least make a dent in the block, she unsheathed her sword and made a single cutting motion at the block, causing an explosion. When the smoke cleared, she saw she only put a small crater on the surface.

"I...don't believe it...I tried to make a slice at the block and just fired a blast of reiatsu instead...it's too hard...at this rate, it will take me weeks before I can do this," she said, in disbelief of how little control she really had over her sword-based attacks.

"You were correct in trying to do more than just cut the block, but the way you formed your reiatsu in the blade was incorrect. You have to try to make the reiatsu as condensed and thin as it possibly can get, such as a piece of floss, or a sheet of paper." he advised, then proceeded to head back towards the path to where Ichigo was.

"W-wait, Aizen-san, you aren't going to help me train?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"What is there for me to do that I can help you with? You have the capability to do so already, and you know what to do. This is something that will take practice, Kuchiki-san. My presence here will not accomplish anything. Besides, you can't expect Ichigo to acquire skills in kido by himself, can you?" he said with a smile, and she started laughing when the thought finally hit her.

"Hehe, yea, I suppose you're right. If somebody doesn't help that dolt, he'll probably blow himself up just like Renji did!" she said, starting to laugh even more.

Aizen started to grin even more, mainly because it was true. Without proper help, Ichigo will probably do more damage to himself than the target dummies. "He would at least need to know the chants to do that. As for now, he would probably just sit there building his reiatsu and doing nothing with it.

"Don't forget, Kuchiki-san. While you are building up your reiatsu, you must imagine that Ichigo's life depends on your success. It won't be easy, but once you can invoke that reality into your mind, your strength will increase dramatically." he said, then proceeded to head up the path.

_I know it is not easy, Kuchiki-san, but this is the path you chose. You must train harder than this if you wish to protect the man you love._


End file.
